Navy Pier - Chicago
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I'm hard at work again, this time at Western Ave tower, where the old B&OCT split, with the passenger mains heading east towards downtown, and the rest of the railroad turned west for Forest Park, the end of the line and a connection with the SOO Line. The CT also connected with the Northwestern via switch tenders at Rockwell and a CNW switch tender at Taylor Street., which was just a little north of here. Out of sight to the left is the old Pennsy/CJ. What is in sight in this picture is a Northwestern local coming out of Wood Street yard, rumbling across the old B&O Passenger mains. It's a fine afternoon in October, 1980, a good day to be out on the tower porch, performing our duties as assigned.
The afternoon ramp job is approaching 130th St on the former Nickel Plate Road with auto racks for the auto loading facility just a little south of this location. It's December 10, 1979 and a typical winter sky at least keeps the exposure even. The balance of the train has just about cleared Cummings Drawbridge. That long tube is the pedestrian walkway for the Ford employees to get from the parking lot to the plant. Almost forgot to add that the 2509 is right at home, having started out life as NKP 509.
N&W 6175 was a one of a kind EMD, getting the tuscan & gold treatment, along with a handful of GE's. I'm not sure why they got the special treatment, but I believe there was a precedent. The N&W did have a fleet of passenger GP9s for commuter service that wore a similar scheme back in the day. I found this beauty at the old Wabash Landers yard in Chicago back in June of 1979.
Another bird flies the coop. The famous Northwestern pig train, the Falcon, pulls out of Wood Street yard in late July, 1982 and rolls across the old B&O diamonds that once hosted the Capitol Limited and other hot varnish. We're at the B&OCT's Western Ave tower and yes, we're hard at work again. We had just lined up the Bird and taken our position to inspect the train as it passes. So happens that we had our camera with us. Nice how some things work out. Of course, everything is either gone or vastly changed since 1982. Heck, even that shining skyscraper in the background has had the misfortune of being renamed. Ain't nothing sacred?
We're still on duty at Western Ave tower, just a different day. We're going back out on the porch and point our camera in the opposite direction and what do we see? A Conrail SW9, the 9131, headed north on the Pennsy/CJ with a slightly unique train. Behind the EMD butt head is an odd assortment of slightly used passenger cars. I can make out a former GM&O coach and a full length dome, last used by AutoTrain, and there's a couple more that I can't make out. Behind the train you can see the Ryerson Steel plant. The train is seen here crossing the B&OCT.
Only twice a year does the shot happen at this spot, the City of Chicago centered between the Michigan City, Indiana lighthouse and marker, with the sun setting centered over the city. The city is 40 miles away. See the couple hugging? I talked to them later, nice people.
We're on duty at 75th St back on January 30, 1981, enjoying the variety of trains that pass the tower. One of the neater ones is this Western Maryland chop nosed GP9, the 6410. The B&OCT crew on board has just delivered a transfer to the Belt Railway of Chicago at Clearing Yard and is on its way back to Barr Yard. A rescan from seven years ago.
Here's a couple of Pooches on their way to the Big Easy. P30CH 722 and friend are rolling down the Saint Charles Air Line back in June, 1980 with the Panama Limited in tow. After making the tedious backup move out of Union Station, the train is headed for the lakefront and Illinois Central rails. The Pan Ltd would lose its name in a year and be called the City of New Orleans, which was actually the daytime counterpart train to the Pan back when Illinois Central operated its own trains. I'm sure this move made Steve Miller very happy..
It's April 11, 1986, and I've just finished working 3rd Trick at Cummings Drawbridge on N&W's former Nickel Plate Road. The tower was right across from the Ford plant on 130th Street. On the other side of the plant was Torrence Ave and the old C&WI bridge. The Ramp job is just coming across the bridge, headed for the auto loading facility, a very busy place which usually saw service all three tricks. I usually enjoyed working all the towers, except this one. It was eight hours of pure hell and busier than several dispatching desks that I worked in my career. It looked nice and peaceful in there, but the radio and phones and computers were always going.